• Fr. David's Message
• Senior Warden Message
• Vestry Corner
• Community Engagement
• Upcoming Events

Next Sunday’s Readings

This Sunday we begin twelve weeks of readings from Paul’s letter to the Romans. This week Paul raises the question of freedom. What does it really mean to be free? In the Gospel reading Jesus says, “whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple-- truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.” (Matt 10:42) Every little act of compassion and generosity done in Christ’s name makes a difference.

Click here to see this coming Sunday’s Readings.
 

Last Sunday’s Sermon: The Experience of God

The doctrine of the Trinity has an interesting and complicated history in the Western Christian Church. From Augustine to Aquinas the Trinity has received a great deal of attention, but ask most people in church on Sunday and they don’t understand the Trinity and don’t think about it much. That may be because in the west the Trinity has been the subject of speculations on the nature of God rather than a guide to the experience of God. This sermon looks at the history of the Trinity starting with Augustine and suggests an alternative.

Reading or Listen to this Sermon»

You can read daily reflections at my blog:

http://revmarshall.com/blog/

or by subscribing to my PodCast through iTunes. Simply search for “The Rev. David Marshall” in the iTunes store or follow this link:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id424733629

Many Thanks to All of You

Dear Friends,

Last Sunday’s worship service was special in many ways.  We celebrated Trinity Sunday and we celebrated the gifts of our choir and our volunteers.  We also celebrated being members of St. Dunstan’s Church.

As we wind down the year and prepare for the summer months, I want to acknowledge the work that so many of you have done.  Our Eucharistic Visitors continue to take communion to our shut-ins; our Eucharistic Ministers assist at the Table of the Lord. Our young acolytes give of their time and talents; the choir and Tim enrich our lives and our worship with their music; St. Agnes Guild continues to do their work for the betterment of our church and the Altar Guild prepares our table each week for us to receive God’s love.

A special thanks to Ann-Patrice and Sandy who work with the young people of our parish and to the many volunteers who add so much to the Christian Education in their teaching. A special thanks to Father David who teaches us and inspires us in so many ways. Thanks to Deacon Jerry for his enthusiasm and his insight. To our vestry, a special thanks for your dedication and your ministry. Our ushers, our readers and our counters all contribute to the vitality of our congregation.

We have so many people working at St. Dunstan’s that it is impossible to name them all, but to each one of you I say,“ Thank you, and God bless you.” 

We the people, are St. Dunstan’s.  We are what makes our church what it is and we do it by loving and caring for each other, and by following the teachings of Jesus Christ.  God is leading us and the Holy Spirit is in each one of us.  We are blessed in so many ways.

God has blessed us beyond any measure. Thank you for all that you are and for all that you do.  You are the best!
 
Blessings,
Mary E. Pacher

Community of the Lamb Summer Meditation and Biblical Spiritualigy Course Offerings

All are welcome regardless of prior meditaion experience to the following offerings with Prayer of the Lamb. Those new to Prayer of the Lamb practice will meet individually with Beverly Hosea, our spiritual leader, for orientation sessions prior to attending classes.

• Meditation and the Gospel of John: Thursday evenings 7-9 pm @ Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Mercer Island
• Portable Prayer- Mini-Intercession Retreats: 3 Saturday mornings TBA

Register for the above classes by calling 206-713-5231 or email: PrayeroftheLamb1@mac.com

There is an ongoing group at St. Dunstan's which continues to meet the 2nd Sunday of the month from 7-9 pm. Newcomers and those interested in learning are welcome.

The Fruits of the Spirit

This is a picture of St Mark’s Cathedral seen over the tops of the tents of Tent City 3 (TC3). Right now TC3 is located in the parking lot of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church, about half a mile east of St. Mark’s. On Tuesday afternoon, Josef Hinkofer and I visited TC3 and were given a tour. It was a warm afternoon, and there were people sitting in the shade, working in the kitchen, and cleaning their bathrooms. We saw large dorm style tents for men and for women, the communal eating area, a TV tent, and many individual or couples tents. There are about 100 people living in TC3 right now.

Josef approached me recently with a proposal. He told me that he has the skills to cook meals for TC3, St. Dunstan’s has the kitchen and the volunteers to help, and Josef has access to food donations for the majority of the food necessary. If we put all of these together, we can feed the people of TC3!

I have prayed about this and I am convinced that the Holy Spirit has put another opportunity before us to do God’s work. Our Mission Statement reads:

We seek to provide a welcoming environment where individuals can come together to walk in Christ’s love and forgiveness through worship, prayer and service to the community.

This feeding ministry will give us yet another way to live out this mission statement. If you would like to help, please let Josef or me know. We need volunteers to help coordinate the kitchen, do the preparation work for the meals, deliver the meals, and clean up afterwards.

Our plan is to prepare the first meal for Tuesday July 12th. That’s coming up pretty quickly, but we have most of what we need in place already. Each meal will be cooked primarily from donated non-perishable food. We will need to spend about $50 a meal for proteins, fresh vegetables and fruit.

We are very blessed to have this opportunity to serve using the gifts and resources God has given us. See you in the Kitchen!

Your brother in Christ,

The Rev. David Marshall

Click here to respond to this posting in my blog.
 

Community Engagement

Feeding the Hungry

• Help cook and clean up on Tuesday afternoons
• Help deliver the meal to Tent City 3
• Donate money for perishables, such as fresh meat, vegetables and fruit, to be purchased the day of the meal

Upcoming Events

Community Potluck Picnic on Sunday, July 3 following the 10 am service at St. Dunstan's. Please bring a side dish to share, such as a salad, fruit, chips, or a dessert, and come join the fun!  There will be games for the kids, and burgers and hot dogs will be provided.

Flower donations are needed for the month of July! Sundays available are July 3, July 17, 24, and 31.  If you would like to give the flowers for any of these Sundays, please sign the Flower Chart outside the sanctuary doors, and you will be contacted by the office or a member of the Altar Guild for your dedication and request.

 

St. Agnes Guild is constantly looking for donations to our Canterbury Faire (bazaar) and parish dinner silent auctions. It is that time of year when some conscientious souls among us do their spring cleaning. Are you one? If you are, please remember that your white elephants may be someone else's treasure! Books, puzzles and games are always popular items at the Faire. The "Treasure Room" where costume jewelry, crystal and silver items are featureed is a busy place indeed. Surprise us! Even though we cannot use clothing, electronics, televisions, or computers, you can call us and we will pick up your donations. This year, the Canterbury Faire is on Saturday, November 12.  Please call Ann-Patrice Riccardo @ 206-363-3994 or email dtap3@msn.com with your request for a pick-up or to volunteer. Come and join your friends at this annual event.
 

Vestry Corner

At the last Vestry Meeting on Sunday, June 19, Father David shared some reflections about this church year.  We have reached a point, after Pentecost, where it is natural to take a breath and to pause and reflect on all that we have been doing in our parish and all that has been accomplished. Here are some of items that were sited:

• the addition of the Care Teams and the number of participants
• our beautiful stained glass window and the number of people who participated in building it
• having our Baptismal Font in the Narthex
• the consistent number of visitors we have had join us for services each Sunday
• the growth in attendance at the Chapel services
• our work at exploring our mission statement and examining how it is calling us all to do God's work

At this point in the meeting we discussed what some of our next steps might be, and we will continue to explore how we welcome all of our new visitors, the community, and new parish members. This is work that can happen in all sorts of ways from greeting someone you don't recognize at coffee hour, to participating in our services, to taking part in our community engagement activities, and to even assisting us in the various work parties and events we have. We will work to make St. Dunstan's welcoming to all in every way we can. Even the work of keeping our facility and grounds maintained is a part of welcoming everyone. Thank you to everyone for your continued efforts and support! Please join with us as we take our next steps.